New York Times Building Climbed Twice

Robert rests on a beam part-way up the 52-story ladder. Photo by David Scull/The New York Times.

The world-renowned, free-soloist Alain "Spider-Man" Robert climbed the 52-story New York Times building on Thursday morning to raise awareness about global warming. Later that day, New Yorker Renaldo Clarke climbed the ladder-like skyscraper to bring attention to the dangers of malaria. Both climbers were arrested after their ascents.

Robert, 46, carried a green banner that he hung at the 17th floor that read: "Global warming kills more people than 9/11 every week." For attaching this banner to the structure, Robert is charged with vandalism and now faces a large fine. For Clarke, this was his first arrest for a major buildering ascent and one of only a few big climbs in his career. Climbing skyscrapers comes at a high price: it is incredibly danergerous and highly illegal, often leading to arrests.

Frenchman Robert, who has been buildering since the age of 12, has climbed over 85 giant stuctures all over the world such as: the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Chicago's Sears Tower and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. On rock, he has free-soloed routes as hard has 5.13c. Luckily Robert's never had many serious accidents, although he has decked from over 15 (nearly 50 feet) meters twice!